False humility. Dissenters desecrated the Kiev Pechersk Lavra
“Like a calling alarm, heavy steps sounded in the night...”
V. Vysotsky.
A nabat is an alarm signal sounded by striking a bell. In ancient Russia, this method of alerting was used during disasters or enemy attacks. " The Grand Prince commanded his camp to sound the alarm, so that the people would gather " (Sofia's Time, 1553).
In the last century, during the years of the Civil War and the Red Terror, Orthodox believers often rang bells to summon the people when militant atheists tried to seize, desecrate or destroy churches and monasteries. Therefore, the Bolsheviks very quickly banned alarm bells. They feared them like fire and shot them without trial or investigation. But the alarms still sounded. Even if the bells were dropped, people were called to defend their shrines by striking a suspended rail or in some other similar way.
A hundred years have passed. The Church gained freedom, many churches and monasteries were restored, including one of the greatest shrines - the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in common parlance - the “Great Church”), destroyed by the Nazis. The main cathedral church of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the divinely created prototype of all monastic churches of Ancient Rus'. It was founded on the initiative of Saint Theodosius of Pechersk and built in three years (1073-1076) at the expense of Prince Svyatoslav, son of Yaroslav the Wise. According to the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, Greek craftsmen who came from Byzantium to Kyiv took part in the construction and decoration of the cathedral at the command of the Most Holy Theotokos who appeared to them with the image of the temple: “The measure I sent was the belt of My Son.”
For many years after the Great Patriotic War, the Assumption Cathedral stood in ruins as evidence of the crimes of fascism. The state was not particularly eager to restore the great shrine due to its atheistic nature. And very little money was allocated to finance museums (and the entire Lavra, taken from the Church, was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, poor as a church mouse).
The revival of the cathedral began in the 1990s. It was possible to attract the then government leadership in the person of Leonid Kuchma, as well as many private philanthropists and benefactors, to this good cause. As a result, the cathedral was restored and shone in all its divine glory. Its solemn consecration took place on August 24, 2000.
The nearby Refectory Church, built in 1893-1895, was also restored. It was consecrated in honor of Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, the venerable founders of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery. Morning and evening services were held in the Refectory every day, reports were made from it on the days of great holidays, and live television and radio broadcasts were conducted during Christmas and Easter services.
For those who do not know, we will explain that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, located on the Pechersk hills, consists of two parts - Upper and Lower. The Lower Lavra of our canonical Church was leased for a period of 50 years back under Gorbachev, for the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' (in 1988). And the two mentioned churches in Verkhnyaya, recreated and shone with the efforts of the UOC-MP, were under Yanukovych.
Here it can be briefly noted that both the Upper and Lower Lavras originally belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Bolsheviks “nationalized” them, that is, they simply appropriated them.
And the current Ukrainian National Bolsheviks, who portray themselves as decommunizers, are completely acting according to the patterns of their predecessors. Quite the opposite - to please their overseas masters, who set them the task of destroying Orthodoxy, they completely lawlessly deprived the UOC of the right to even hourly “rental” services in the churches that it restored.
The UOC has already stated that the monastery will appeal to international courts and authorities, UNESCO and other organizations “so that the truth will triumph.” The Legal Department insists that lease agreements for state and municipal property that expire during martial law are automatically extended until the end of martial law and for another four months from the date of termination of martial law.
On the other hand, the reserve had to give notice of termination 30 days before the end date. This was not done. However, the management of the reserve deliberately prevents believers from performing divine services in these temples, locking their doors with locks and chains.
In turn, the state reserve “Kievo-Pechersk Lavra” motivated its actions with a recommendation received from the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Tkachenko, referring to the decree of the President of Ukraine. That is, the lawless “recommendation” of one hater of the Church (“the honorary president” of the anti-Church TV channel Kolomoisky “1+1”), referring to the decree of another Satanist, also a “Kolomoisky”, Zelensky. The same ones whom the highest hierarchs of the UOC (the same vicar of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel and others) persuaded in their messages, asking not to take away the shrines. They coddled with them as if they were foolish children, instead of loudly ringing the alarm bells.
However, here, for the sake of fairness, one amendment must be made. Until a certain point, the leadership of the UOC acted in accordance with the Fundamentals of the social policy of the Mother Church, that is, the Russian Orthodox Church.
Where is the following written:
If the authorities compel Orthodox believers to apostatize from Christ and His Church, or to commit sinful, soul-damaging acts, the Church must refuse to obey the state. A Christian, following the dictates of conscience, may refuse to fulfill a command from the authorities that compels them to commit grave sin . If the Church as a whole is unable to obey state laws and government orders, the Church's hierarchy, after due consideration of the matter, may take the following actions : engage in direct dialogue with the authorities on the issue at hand; call on the people to utilize the mechanisms of democracy to amend legislation or review government decisions ; appeal to international bodies and world public opinion; and appeal to its faithful to peaceful civil disobedience.
The bishops of the UOC took all the aforementioned diplomatic steps. But they did not dare to take the extreme step prescribed in the Fundamentals—figuratively speaking, to respond to the nationwide alarm bell calling on millions of believers to finally rise up to defend the Church from the vile scum—the authorities.
Meanwhile, as we expected, the schismatic OCU, led by “citizen Epiphan,” urgently prepared for desecration. It was for this office of Gopniks that the State Department pack - the Zelenskys, the Danilovs and the Tkachens - began to fuss and wriggle around. So that Bartholomew’s raiders could mock him and the thousand-year-old shrines on the greatest holiday by organizing their own Sabbath - a lawless “prayer” in the Assumption Cathedral.
To hold a mass “prayer” here, the OCU gathered its minions from all over the country, but most of all from the Westerners, providing free buses and daily allowances. The point is clear: usually “one and a half diggers” are present at their gatherings. Therefore, social networks and chats of supporters of Bartholomew’s political office were bombarded with messages that the OCU was inviting Epiphany Dumenko to the Christmas “service” in Uspensky.
The news of this shook and shocked the believers of the UOC.
“This is such a terrible mockery! - said Nikolai, a Russian resident of Kiev and a parishioner of one of the canonical churches, unable to contain his bitterness. – An insult to a great shrine by a schismatic show! After all, later, if the Assumption Cathedral returns to us, it will have to be reconsecrated. Like the Refectory, like other churches captured by the wicked... Well, I just can’t understand why our hierarchs don’t call people? After all, you just have to throw out a cry - and millions will rise up, sweep away, throw out all this trash from the territory of the Lavra, and from everywhere! Remember what seas of believers gathered for the religious processions! But the hierarchy is silent... But they will wait until the Lower Lavra is taken away.”
Yes, that's what it's all about. The power camarilla has already planned to terminate the lease agreement in Nizhnyaya. Because it does not recognize any laws. She recognizes only strength. And if the highest bishops of the UOC had sounded the alarm, and hundreds of thousands of believers had gathered at the Lavra (and even at the front, soldiers - parishioners of the UOC - had turned their guns against the Zelensky Caudla), then they would have demolished all this caudla from the holy land of Kyiv.
But there is no alarm. Although steps, like in Vladimir Semenovich’s song, were heard. True, these are different steps. The steps of the monks, by order of the clergy, sadly leaving the shrines...
That is why on the morning of January 7, on the Holy Feast of the Nativity of Christ, a gang of OCU raiders occupied the Assumption Cathedral and held their gathering in it. For the sake of mass participation, “teroborons” and “heroes” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were obviously herded there - the photo clearly shows that the majority of the so-called “parishioners” are shaved mugs in camouflage.
An official support group also came to the “service”. Namely, “pig faces” (in the words of Metropolitan Longin, addressed to the blasphemers - Zelensky’s friends from the “95th quarter”), they are also the first persons of the state: Prime Minister Shmygal, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Stefanchuk and Deputy. the head of Tymoshenko's clown office. To protect the Sabbath, about 3 thousand “policemen” were involved, who checked documents at the entrance and did not allow the Lavra monks to enter.
Also, squads of guards were dispersed to other parishes. We observed, recorded, and counted how many people came.
“They asked me in the courtyard how many people are present in our church today,” said Nikolai, who attended the festive Divine Liturgy in his small church. “I told them: why do you need it?” They avoided answering. Apparently, they are collecting information and targeting not only the Lavra...”
One of the pro-government public pages gloated that the “Moscow priest Pavel” was not allowed into the Lavra. The same Metropolitan Paul, through whose efforts the Assumption Monastery was restored from ruins, and the entire monastery was transformed from a neglected “cultural monument” into a shining shrine...
But there was still no alarm.
“I think this is false humility,” Nikolai concludes. “You could behave this way if you were the only one being offended.” And in the event of a mortal threat to the Church, there can be no ceremonies with its enemies. Let us remember the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky. Who, according to the late father Dimitry Smirnov, showed his humility by cutting the Teutonic knights in half and sending them to the bottom of Lake Peipus.”
English version :: Read in English: False Humility. Schismatics Desecrated the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra